The goal of this project is to develop feasible methods of reinforcing aluminum die casting components with large size metallic inserts that will provide greater strength, improved impact resistance, and reduced tendency to shatter.
This three year project was awarded in August 2000. It is a follow-on to earlier research performed by Case Western on direct squeeze casting of aluminum alloys. Planned activities in the current project include:
Reinforced Casting Experiments – Aluminum alloys will be selected for the matrix. Lab scale casting experiments with sand molds and squeeze parts will be conducted with simple cast shapes representative of the applications. Plate-like, cylindrical and spherical shapes will be cast initially.
Bonding Technique – Interfacial coatings that provide the desired metallurgical bond between the insert and the aluminum alloy matrix will be selected and evaluated.
Mechanical Testing – The strength of the bond between the matrix and the reinforcing insert will be evaluated by tensile and bending tests.
In-plant Implementation – After it has been demonstrated that a satisfactory means of holding the reinforcing insert in the die and a strong metallurgical bond has been established for different metallic inserts and aluminum alloys, the industrial partners will use this information to produce actual components for the applications.